Cleaning, disinfecting, and/or protecting the teats of the animals is an important part in dairy farming. The use of disinfectant and/or skin conditioner can prevent the teats of the animals from becoming infected or dry, or otherwise affected by environment, e.g. dry, chapped, frost-bitten, etc.
It is standard practice in conventional systems where skin conditioner and/or skin disinfectant are applied manually using a cup-dipping (submersion) that the fluid it be applied within seconds of removal of the milking teat cup. The primary reason is that the teat orifice remains stretched and distended as a result of the pneumatic/mechanical action of milking. The application of fluid has better access to the convoluted tissue opening for germicidal or conditioning activity prior to the teat tissue regaining normal circulation under atmospheric conditions and subsequent involution of the teat orifice and streak canal. Additionally, the teat cistern's deteriorating residual vacuum can assist a droplet in coating the distal surfaces of the streak canal for more effective germicidal or conditioning activity.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,935,270 B2 discloses a milking and applicator teat cup configured to receive an animal teat within a liner located in a shell. At the openings of the liner and shell where the teat is received, there is an applicator configured to dispense disinfectant, conditioning, and/or cleaning solution to the animal teat. The applicator is designed to discharge the solution horizontally across the openings of the liner and the shell. Such a teat cup can be integrated into a milking system having a valve manifold coupled to a number of teat cups and controlling flow of milk from the number of teat cups and flow of fluid to the applicators, and a controller including logic configured to provide control signals to the valve manifold. The controller signals the valve manifold to pre-charge a hose or line delivering fluid to the applicator and signals the valve manifold for the end of milking and begin delivery of the fluid from the applicator.